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Sergey Kovalev is ready to prove bettors wrong with victory over Canelo Alvarez

Sergey Kovalev holds up his belt during a news conference Wednesday in Las Vegas. Kovalev is scheduled to fight Canelo Alvarez in a WBO light heavyweight title bout Saturday.(Photo: JOHN LOCHER/AP)

Sergey Kovalev continues to defy the odds and prove doubters wrong. Kovalev has been the underdog in recent fights but continues to find a way to win.

Even thought he is set to defend his WBO world light heavyweight title against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night, Kovalev is considered the underdog. That is fine with him, since one of the best trainers in boxing has revived his career.

The hard-hitting, Russia-born fighter will attempt to defy all odds when he faces the popular Mexican fighter at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 12-round bout will headline a four-bout stream on DAZN. Coverage starts at 6 p.m.

Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 knockouts), who trained for Saturday’s fight in Oxnard, is coming off a knockout victory over mandatory challenger and hard-hitting Anthony Yarde on Aug. 24 in Chelyanbinsk, Russia, not far from his hometown of Kopeysk.

The win came almost seven months after his decision victory over Eleider Alvarez of Colombia. That fight was a rematch of an Aug. 4, 2018, bout, which Eleider Alvarez won by knockout in the seventh round after Kovalev was ahead on the judges’ scorecards.

While the 36-year-old Kovalev has won four of his last five bouts and will be the physically bigger fighter of the two, Las Vegas sports books tab Alvarez (52-1-2, 25 KOs) as the favorite to win.

“It’s a huge motivation for me because if I win, I will get more opportunities for future fights,” Kovalev told The Star before a recent workout in Oxnard. “I still have some goals in boxing, and they push me. I want to follow through on achieving my goals. These motivate me to be the best light heavyweight in boxing.”

After a falling out with longtime trainer John David Jackson in 2017, Kovalev acquired the services of Abror Tursunpulatov. After the loss to Eleider Alvarez, Kovalev and Tursunpulatov parted ways.

Late last year, Kovalev hired trainer James “Buddy” McGirt, a former world titleholder who is known for extending the careers of fighter, including the late Arturo Gatti. After back-to-back victories, Kovalev is not only comfortable working with McGirt, but has benefited from all the instruction from McGirt in the gym.

“(I) thank God to all that has happened to me because everything happens for a reason,” said Kovalev, who is promoted by Main Events, which is run by Kathy Duva. “In 10 years of pro boxing, I finally found someone who is a real professional coach in Buddy McGirt. Buddy is a real professional and understands what I need, and his advice has worked. I respect him and I listen to him because he gives me the right advice.”

An impressive victory Saturday night would put Kovalev in a position to unify the division against either WBC/IBF titleholder Artur Beterbiev or WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol. Like Kovalev, both fighters are originally from Russia.

Kovalev, who is managed by Thousand Oaks resident Egis Klimas, believes he can still compete at the elite level and a win over Alvarez could fulfill his goals in a very deep division. He is not overlooking Alvarez, who will be attempting to win a world title belt in four different weight divisions.

“I don’t want to look past Canelo. I have to focus on this fight because a win over Canelo would put me into a unification fight. To become an undisputed champion, it’s two fights. It’s very close,” he said. “Based on technique and talent, Canelo will be my toughest opponent to date.”

Ochoa wins by KO

Rudy Ochoa of Oxnard remained unbeaten last Saturday night, knocking out Juan Chavez in the opening round at the Big Punch Arena in Tijuana, California.

Ochoa dominated the action, dropping Chavez (1-7, 1 KO), who resides in Tijuana, twice before the fight was stopped at 2:30.

The 25-year-old Ochoa, who is a 2012 graduate of Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, improves to 8-0, 5 KOs.

Ochoa could return to the ring in December or January, either in Southern California or again in Tijuana.

Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. Francisco also covers boxing for RingTV, Boxingscene, and FightNights.com. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.